GARNER — Prosecutors have made the rare move of seeking a change in venue for the trial of a former state lawmaker accused of sexual abuse.
Former state Rep. Henry Rayhons of Garner has pleaded not guilty to third-degree sexual abuse. He’s accused of having sexual contact in May with his wife, Donna Rayhons, while she was a resident of a care center and not able to give consent. Donna Rayhons died in early August.
The state attorney general’s office, which is prosecuting the case, filed a petition last week asking a judge to move the trial out of Hancock County. Prosecutors don’t think they can get a fair hearing from jurors from Rayhons’ home county